1. Field of the Invention
This application describes embodiments of apparatuses, methods, and systems for the visualization of tissues.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditional surgical procedures, both therapeutic and diagnostic, for pathologies located within the body can cause significant trauma to the intervening tissues. These procedures often require a long incision, extensive muscle stripping, prolonged retraction of tissues, denervation and devascularization of tissue. Such procedures can require operating room time of several hours followed by several weeks of post-operative recovery time due to the destruction of tissue during the surgical procedure. In some cases, these invasive procedures lead to permanent scarring and pain that can be more severe than the pain leading to the surgical intervention.
The development of percutaneous procedures has yielded a major improvement in reducing recovery time and post-operative pain because minimal dissection of tissue, such as muscle tissue, is required. For example, minimally invasive surgical techniques are desirable for spinal and neurosurgical applications because of the need for access to locations within the body and the danger of damage to vital intervening tissues. While developments in minimally invasive surgery are steps in the right direction, there remains a need for further development in minimally invasive surgical instruments and methods.
Treatment of internal tissue sites, such as the treatment of an orthopedic joint, often requires visualization of the target internal tissues. However, proper visualization of an internal tissue site can be expensive and time-consuming to schedule, such as when magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is required. Further, other modes of imaging can potentially damage the tissue site, leading to poor diagnosis and extended recovery time. Consequently, there is need for improved devices and methods for visualization of an internal tissue site.